Michael Chiadika said his bid to get into medical school was like a quarterback throwing “a Hail Mary shot.”

Learning the ropes depended a great deal on luck and prayer.

Apparently, many African-American males like Chiadika have been there - to the point that they may be giving up on, or are not even trying, to become doctors: While the number of black male college graduates has risen, the number applying to medical school has sunk.

Some call them guardian angels.

Wearing pastel robes and halos of silver and gold, they have wings that look ready to enfold as well as fly.

They grace the canvases of Batson Children's Hospital nurse Miriam Shufelt. A 2013 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Nursing, Shufelt, now a registered nurse, cares for patients on the same floor she learned from in an externship, 4C, general pediatrics. She's also studying at UMMC to be a nurse practitioner.

“Nursing has always been my plan, in my heart,” she said. “I have felt called to be a nurse, and I knew I wanted to work with children.”

Her off hours, though, have her picking up a palette to create paintings that can be as soothing to her as to the viewers.

Blood donations at the Medical Center are always important, but they're never more welcome than during the holidays.

According to Renee Howard, administrative assistant in clinical lab administration who organizes UMMC's quarterly blood drives, donating blood is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

“We would like to encourage every eligible donor to find the time to donate during this holiday season,” Howard said.

Medical Center faculty, staff and students will have the opportunity to show their giving spirit during Mississippi Blood Services blood drive at several UMMC locations Dec. 14-18.

All donors will receive an MBS T-shirt. Identification is required to donate blood.

To view times, dates and places for the drive, click here. For more information about the drive, call (601) 981-3232 or visit www.msblood.com.

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff:

Most physicians and surgeons are looked up to as super-heroes by those placed in their care, but one UMMC cardiologist has earned that distinction from a local publication. And sometimes it's not enough to be an outstanding teacher, researcher and health-care provider - being savvy at business can reap benefits as well, as a group of UMMC faculty have learned.